


Everything Is Wonderful Again

by Dresupi



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: #fydlexchange, Alternate Universe - Actors, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Cheesy superhero tv show, Darcy Lewis is Peggy Carter's Granddaughter, Galentine's Day Exchange, Gen, Gift Fic, I wish I could draw this, Peggy Carter is Hollywood Royalty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-13
Updated: 2016-02-13
Packaged: 2018-05-20 06:03:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5994178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dresupi/pseuds/Dresupi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fydl Galentine Exchange gift fic for AlekWalker.  </p><p>Some things you should know, in case you didn't look at the tags, This is a No Powers AU, and an Actors AU.  :D  Darcy is Peggy Carter’s granddaughter, and Peggy Carter is Hollywood royalty, ya’ll.  There are lots of cameos from other Marvel Ladies as well.  </p><p>This tv show fic concept basically came from the idea that Peggy Carter should have been the one subjected to the super serum.  Of course, since this is a No Powers AU, that manifests in Peggy basically being the first female superhero with her own movie franchise in the fifties. I just figured that even without powers, Peggy still would have been a powerful feminist icon.  </p><p>Darcy's her granddaughter, and while she loves her Gran, those are some big figurative shoes to fill. She's up for the role that made her grandmother famous, in a tv show reboot of Captain Wonder.  (Don't even ask where I came up with that name. I just wanted this to be as cheese filled as possible, so I hope none of you are lactose intolerant.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Everything Is Wonderful Again

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AlekWalker](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlekWalker/gifts).



Darcy groaned and smacked the beeping alarm clock.  She stared up at her ceiling.  The plaster was uneven.  The paint chipping.  

Granny Peg would flip if she saw it.  Which was why she wasn’t ever, EVER coming over here.

Not that she was judgmental or anything.  But she’d insist on finding her a nicer apartment.  And then Darcy would have to explain that she couldn’t afford a better apartment.  And then Granny would insist on paying for it and then she’d have to tell her ‘no’ repeatedly, and it would end up with Darcy feeling like a douche and making her grandmother cry.  

Ugh. Why was THIS the first thought she had when she woke up?  What her grandmother would think of her bedroom ceiling?  Really?

Short answer?  Because it was literally the only thing on her mind, as it had been for the past two weeks.    

Long answer?  She didn’t have the time to even think about the long answer. Her therapist said it stemmed from hero worship and a touch of low self-image.  Seriously, though.  No time.      

* * *

She threw back the thin blanket she covered herself with.  It was warm in L.A.  Not hot yet. So she was taking advantage of not having to run her window air conditioner.  It was a little stuffy in here, though.

She checked the clock, making sure she didn’t lie there bemoaning her existence for too long. Nope, still had time to get ready.  She had to go meet with Bobbi over breakfast.  

She got up, trudging to the bathroom, grabbing her toothbrush from the cup on the sink.  

She REALLY hated that she still wasn’t set on the Captain Wonder thing yet.  

 _Yes or no.  It’s not THAT difficult, Darce,_ she thought as she squirted toothpaste on her toothbrush, jamming it in her mouth.  

On one hand, it was a dream come true.  She would get to play her childhood hero on a TV show. Not only that, she’d get to play her childhood hero on a Fitzsimmons TV show, something her adult self was doing backflips over.  With Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons writing the script, the show couldn’t HELP but be a success.  

She’d even heard a rumor that MELINDA MAY was in the works to direct. A Fitzsimmons show that had “The Cavalry” herself coming out of retirement to direct…yeah…  it would be an instant hit.  AND, she might be able to find out why they called her “The Cavalry.”

She spat down the drain, rinsing her toothbrush.  

It shouldn’t be that difficult a decision, except there was the whole pesky business about her independence. And the fact that she was only offered the role because of Gran. AKA Peggy Carter.  Also AKA Margaret Carter.    

Being the granddaughter of Hollywood royalty was kind of obnoxious.  Especially when Darcy just wanted to make her own name for herself. DOUBLE especially when the breakout role she’d been praying for was on a vintage superhero movie turned TV show remake playing the role that made Margaret “Peggy” Carter famous to begin with.

Captain Wonder and the Fabulous Five.  

That’s what the studio was so excited about.  They’d get to advertise the show as starring Peggy Carter’s granddaughter who was picking up the shield and continuing the family legacy.

Not really a legacy, since her mom hadn’t taken up acting and had instead been a high school English teacher.  But…still. Captain Wonder was in her blood, so to speak. She’d grown up wearing the towel around her shoulders and wielding a plastic toy version of the heroine’s famous shield.  She’d even gone so far as to steal her mom’s red lipstick so she could try to look as similar to Granny Peg as possible.    

It was true that she’d wanted to be Peggy Carter when she was little.  Now, though…she’d just like to be Darcy Lewis.

Darcy Lewis, semi-successful stage actress. Semi-successful because while she’d gotten rave reviews for the last play she’d been in, she still had to moonlight as a bartender on weekends and take the occasional loan from her parents.  Not something to brag about.  

This show could make her career, but what kind of career would it be if everyone always whispered behind her back about why she got the part to begin with?  

She hopped in the shower, quickly rinsing the sticky sleep off her body and hopping back out just as quickly.  

She blow-dried her hair, wanting to make a good impression if she DID decide to go to the first script reading this afternoon.  

Some of the actresses she’d heard of.  Some not until she looked them up on IMDB.  And one she’d actually worked with before: Jane Foster.  She was actually pretty cool as Darcy remembered her.  Down to earth.  Chill.  She wasn’t sure what part she was playing.

Her phone buzzed on the vanity. A text from Bobbi. Bobbi Morse was not a patient woman.  She always acted like she had a million other places to be, but she was deigning to spend time with _you_ , so _you_ should feel really special.  

And Darcy knew for a fact that she was Bobbi’s only client who got steady work.  Not enough work for Bobbi’s taste, though.  She thought Darcy should just bank on her grandmother’s name and get all the work she could.  Bobbi reasoned that Darcy had enough talent to merit using Peggy Carter’s significant pull to pad both their bank accounts.  But Darcy REALLY wanted to do it on her own.

She started applying makeup, patting foundation down over her cheeks, huffing out a sigh because she still wasn’t sure what she should do.  

And it really sucked because the person she usually went to with this stuff was the one person she absolutely COULD NOT go to with this.  Granny might take it personally. Especially since she had been so excited to hear that Darcy was going to “take up the shield”.  She’d be heartbroken if she decided not to after all.  

So, Darcy was at an impasse. Either take the role, make lots of money, but lose the respect she’d worked to build up in the industry. There was a little respect, okay?  

Or reject the role and break her aging Granny’s heart, AND maybe not make rent and have to borrow money from her parents. AGAIN.  

Ugh. She was not good at decisions.  

* * *

“What do you MEAN you’re thinking about not taking it?” Bobbi’s coffee cup was poised halfway to her mouth.  

“I mean, I haven’t signed anything yet, have I?”  

“No, but it’s pretty much a done deal, Darce.  The bloggers are already blogging about it.  The gossip columns are on fire.  There is so much publicity coming from this.  Publicity I didn’t even have to arrange!  Do you realize what this means?”  

“It means my grocery shopping habits will soon be of national importance?”  

“Exactly!  You’re almost there.  Come on, Darce…” Bobbi pleaded.  “I have an opportunity to buy a Corvette.  Do you know how much I want a Corvette, Darcy?”

“More than life itself, Bobbi…” Darcy monotoned back to her, having heard her agent say something to that effect on more than a few occasions.  

“Look…just GO to the reading.  Meet the other actresses.  Meet with Melinda May…”  

“She’s for sure going to direct?”  

Bobbi smiled, nodding. “She IS.  Go to the reading.  Meet the ladies.  It’ll be fun. Don’t make a decision until you KNOW it won’t work.”  

Darcy found herself nodding. Melinda May was definitely a check in the yes column.  

* * *

She got in her car, letting her head fall to the steering wheel, letting out a gravelly sound of anguish. She was no closer to making a decision than before.  And now she was going out for drinks with all these people later tonight.

_What the hell is my life?_

The reading went REALLY well.  She got to meet all her potential co-stars.  “The Fabulous Five”, as it was.  

Jane Foster, of course, she already knew.  Jane was going to be playing Lady Luna, a member of an alien race who landed on Earth to help Captain Wonder and her team with an extraterrestrial menace, which was the plot of the pilot.  She’d of course then stay on Earth to continue lending her help.  

(It was Jane’s idea to invite everyone out for drinks, by the way, so Darcy blamed her.  She’d tried to back out.  She really had.)  

Jane introduced her to Helen Cho, the famous Korean actress who was going to play Dr. Dazzle.  Dr. Dazzle, alter ego Lily Gye, had genius level intellect as well as mind reading capabilities.  Darcy knew Helen from a hospital drama that had recently ended. “Cadaeceus” had run for a REALLY long time, over ten years, but Helen had only been on the last two seasons.  She’d actually been kind of a big deal in the last season, so it was really cool to see her here.    

Natasha Romanov was playing the Black Widow, alter ego Yelena Belova.  The Black Widow was the muscle of the group and a master assassin, trained by the KGB. Natasha was the most critically famous of all the ladies here, having recently been a Barton Girl in the last Hawkeye movie.    

Wanda Maximoff, a relatively unknown actress, was playing the Scarlet Witch (a telekinetic).  Darcy didn’t know much about her other than she came from Sokovia.  She’d been the actress they’d hired through open auditions.  She seemed really nice, though.  Really nervous.

Darcy had actually found herself coaxing the girl into going out for drinks later that night with the rest of the cast.  Even though she had been on the fence about going in the first place.  Good grief.    

Virginia “Pepper” Potts was a little older than the rest of the actresses here, having been a regular on various soap operas for the past seven years.  This was her first foray into prime time television.  She was playing Iron Rescue, who wore a Power Rangers type of flying suit and handled aerial assaults and long range defense. Most of her battle scenes would be shot on a green screen and through extreme close ups, to give the image of a heads up display.  She’d also be in charge of all the “gadgets”.  Like any good superhero show, there were tons of gadgets.

And then there was Maria Hill.  Who would be playing the president of the world.  Yes, the world.  Maria had been on a long running sitcom before taking this, a much more serious role. As serious as President of the World could be, Darcy guessed.  

So the script was cheesy.  BUT, it was supposed to be.  “Ironic”. That kind of thing.

The writers were there, and seemed pretty nice.  Finished each other’s sentences. Were really happy to meet her. Mentioned Granny Peg. Which, most people in the industry did, so she tried not to think about it too much.      

Melinda May was…scary. She said very little during the read through, but she did approach each of them afterwards with a list of things she thought they needed to work on.  

She thought Darcy was holding back.  

_No crap, Sherlock._

A couple other stylistic things, but the main one was that she needed to be a bigger personality if she was going to take up the shield.

_Audible sigh._

She ended up staying to chat with everyone about their “report cards” they’d all received from Melinda May, all arriving on the consensus that they’d discuss them further when they met later for drinks.  

So there was no getting out of that now.  

If she was going out for drinks with the cast, that meant she was doing this, right?  

Right?  

She started her car, not really sure where she was going.  She supposed home.  

There had been something about the way Melinda May had looked at her.  When she’d handed her the torn off sheet of yellow legal pad with the scribbled critique of her read through, she’d looked at her.  Long and hard.  Like she was trying to see her.  Probably trying to see the family resemblance.  Darcy got that a lot when people found out who her grandmother was. The writers…Fitzsimmons…they’d done it too.  

“Do you or don’t you want me to bring up your relatives?” she’d asked, an eyebrow arched.

“No.  I mean…it’s not that I don’t LIKE her or anything, but I’m trying to be…independent or whatever, so…I’d rather if you didn’t—“  

“Good to know,” The Eyebrow quirked and she moved on.  

But it had struck a nerve. How defensive she’d gotten about it. Darcy sighed and took a left at the intersection instead of a right.  She knew what she needed to do.  

* * *

“Hello, Sweetheart…” Darcy couldn’t hold back the smile when her Granny hugged her tightly.  

“Hey Gran…”  

After the obligatory grandmother/granddaughter discourse, after she was sitting snugly on Gran’s couch with a cup of tea in her favorite mug, the conversation took a slight turn.

Not a turn really, just a merge into the right lane.  

“What’s bothering you, Darcy?” Gran’s eyebrow arched.  “I know you’re not here to shoot the breeze…not today anyway.”  

Darcy took a big sip from the teacup.  “It’s about…Captain Wonder.”  

Her grandmother’s gaze shifted over to the wall to their left.  The original movie poster was there, framed, with the trademark shield mounted beside it.  “Did you want tips, advice or just a general discussion? Because I have some thoughts about Captain America and Captain Wonder based upon what you said the last time we talked.”  

She grinned, “Advice this time…but you know I will sit and listen to your meta any day of the week, Gran.”

“Ah…” Gran placed her teacup back on the saucer and folded her hands in her lap.  “What can I help you with, Dear One?”  

Darcy took a deep breath, “Well…” she paused for a split second, looking up at her grandmother before letting everything tumble out.  Why she was hesitant to take the role, the state of her finances, her desire for independence and respect in her craft…by the end of it, her tea had stopped steaming and Gran was smirking at her.  Smirking.  

“Are you done?” she asked, clearly amused.  Darcy nodded. “My dear girl…” she smiled then. “You didn’t get this part because of me.”  

“What?”  

“You didn’t even truly have it until this afternoon.  Melinda May has final say on all casting.  It’s true that you were recommended based upon your relation to me, but do you honestly think they’d cast you based on that alone?”  

She was pretty sure her mouth was wide open.  She nodded again, because she kind of had.  That’s what Bobbi had told her.    

“Darcy.  You are a VERY talented actress.  And I’m saying that as a fellow actress, dear.  Not because I’m your grandmother.  I’ll blow sunshine up your rear end about anything else. But surely you know me well enough to know that I’d never give you false hope about something I love?”  

Darcy nodded again, tears coming to her eyes unbidden.  “I know that, Gran, but…”  

“But nothing.  You were made to do this.  And this role is yours.  You impressed Melinda May.  Not just with your skill, but with your humility.  Your ability to accept criticism.  Your desire for independence from my name and my legacy.”  

“She called you?”  

“She’s an old friend, and I asked her to.”

“Do you know why they call her ‘The Cavalry’?” Darcy blurted before waving the question away.  “Never mind, current events more important…”  

“They call her ‘the Cavalry’ because she doesn’t employ an assistant,” Gran shrugged, “I’m afraid it’s nothing more risqué than that…did she…happen to give you any tips?”  

Darcy blinked a few times, actually a little disappointed that the nickname didn’t stem from more than that.  “Yeah…she said I needed a bigger personality…”

“She mentioned that to me. I told her she must be mistaken, because my granddaughter has the biggest personality on the west coast if she puts her mind to it.”  

“I might have been a little nervous…” Darcy admitted.  

Gran reached over to squeeze her hand.  “You’ll do fine, my dear.  Just try and make sure that costume department doesn’t make your skirt too short. They kept trying to shorten it on me. I told them I was there to fight evil, not to flash a bit of thigh. Not easy to do if you’re constantly worried your bum is out.”  

Darcy laughed, “I saw it…it’s a bit shorter than yours was…”  

“Well…a bit shorter is fine. I’m well aware this isn’t the fifties anymore…” Gran smoothed the front of her dress.  “So.  Do you feel better now?”  

She nodded, “Much. Thank you, Gran.”  

“Fantastic.  Now, can I tell you why the Captains America and Wonder would have worked well together?”

Darcy laughed, “Go for it.” She sat back for a rousing debate on whether the Howling Commandos would have gotten along with the Fabulous 5 or not.    

* * *

“Are you serious, it’s just because she doesn’t hire an assistant?” asked Jane, who was being meticulously sewn into Lady Luna’s battle regalia.  They had about a half hour before the makeup department came in to take over.    

“Yep.  That’s what Gran said…” Darcy confirmed.  “She takes care of everything herself, so they call her ‘The Cavalry’.”  She winced when she got jabbed with a pin for what felt like the fifteenth consecutive time in the same spot on her hip.  

“Sorry!” the costume designer said.  “That was the last one.  Finished! Ta-da!” she sounded as Darcy spun to look at herself in the mirror.  

Her eyes widened.

She was…Captain Wonder. Long wavy brown hair, tacky red, white and blue dress. Blue cape.  Knee high red boots.  The only thing missing was the…

“Don’t forget your shield!” It was thrust into her hand and she held in front of her, adopting Gran’s signature pose, one hand on hip, the shield held protectively in front of her.

“Now, you also have a unitard uniform as well…but for the first episode they really wanted to use the dress.  For nostalgia purposes…I think you look great…” the designer tugged at her skirt a little.  “Does it feel alright?”  

Darcy hefted the shield in front of her.  The real version was quite a bit heavier than the plastic one she’d played with as a kid. She nodded. “Feels…wonderful.”  

**Author's Note:**

> Just for your reference: 
> 
> The Fabulous 5:  
> -Lady Luna-(Jane)  
> -Dr. Dazzle-(Helen)  
> -Black Widow-(Natasha)  
> -Scarlet Witch-(Wanda)  
> -Iron Rescue-(Pepper)
> 
> Lady Luna and Dr. Dazzle are completely made up, while Iron Rescue is of course, in reference to Pepper's comic persona, Rescue. 
> 
> (I REALLY wish I had any kind of art skill so I could draw these lovely ladies for you.)


End file.
